A lot of older PC games can run just fine on modern phone hardware. I’d buy a SteamOS version of a phone that has some modular or built-in set of buttons and analog sticks. I don’t know how the app ecosystem would work for sensitive things like banking but it’s mostly a minor issue for me.

  • Flaim@discuss.tchncs.de
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    2 hours ago

    depends.
    if it’s basically a continuation of the xperia play, but otherwise a regular modern day smartphone with passing safety net, unlockable bootloader, a 3,5mm jack, sd card slot, stereo front firing speaker, decent camera, absolutely.

    • Chais@sh.itjust.works
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      4 hours ago

      That’s actually a great point. If it runs actual Linux, not Android, that’s a decent reason to buy. Valve might actually upstream the patches, if any, so that would enable virtually all Linux distros to run in it.

  • thingsiplay@lemmy.ml
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    5 hours ago

    A Steam smartphone implies to me its main purpose is to play PC games and not caring about the other stuff. And no, for that reason I wouldn’t buy a Steam smartphone. Because playing games on mobile phone sucks, for controls (and I always need a controller in addition), battery life and size. And its probably as expensive as a PC. I would rather buy a dedicated handheld, if its available in this form. And if its based on Android, its a nogo anyway, for privacy reasons.

  • gegil@sopuli.xyz
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    6 hours ago

    Mobile sucks. Smartphones are just too limited for real gaming. First problem is the hardware; you cant just put a desktop or laptop processors into a mobile device. Second is a small screen, which is very difficult to use for touchscreen controls and simply too small to actually see what is being displayed.

      • gegil@sopuli.xyz
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        4 hours ago

        By real games i mean pc games. There are plenty of various open source lauchers or third party android ports from github which can run real pc games on android. But the problem remains: either bad performance, as the game is not optimised for mobile hardware, or terrible touchscreen controls, as the pc games might require a lot of keys to play.

        For example, i can play minecraft java edition on android using zalith launcher, but some medium modpacks may not work due to lack of memory or unsupported mods, and playing it using touchscreen is very difficult. Unlike some other games, minecraft java edition isnt really designed about controllers, and even with dedicated mods which add support for them, arent really useful.

        • gwl [he/him]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          2 hours ago

          Sounds like gamerbro elitism to me tbh. You need to widen your horizons and/or touch grass.

          I didn’t know that those millions of games on every other device through the last 56 years were actually imaginary. That’s fascinating!

          look if you played the SNES in the 80s im not saying youre a bad person, but like thats just not the same thing as real gaming. PC gaming is the only real option, consoles, especially normie consoles like the SNES just cant perform

          You, right now

  • BallShapedMan@lemmy.world
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    13 hours ago

    Just to get away from Apple and Google.

    I love the trend towards Linux phones. I hope that gets a good enough foothold for me to get one.

  • YurkshireLad@lemmy.ca
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    11 hours ago

    No, because I don’t care about gaming on a phone. But I’d love to have numerous viable Linux phone alternatives to break the cartel duopoly.

  • K3CAN@lemmy.radio
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    12 hours ago

    Probably not Steam OS, specially, but I’d love an alternative Linux-based smartphone OS.

  • jtrek@startrek.website
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    11 hours ago

    Maybe, if was cheap. Dislike Google and Apple.

    Don’t care so much about games on the phone as like GPS, texting, ad blocking in the browser.